BISTRO REVIEW

While I very
rarely dine at steak houses, I had to taste what
all of the hype was about.

Upon
entering the beautifully designed, welcoming
establishment, the smell of grilled meat was the
first thing that hit our senses. Our mouths
collectively and immediately filled with saliva in
anticipation and hunger.

The four
of us - two adults, two children - were politely
greeted and seated within minutes of our
arrival. Great start! Almost immediately
following, the jovial waiter approached to take
our drink order and answer any menu
questions. While they offer a wide variety
of signature cocktails (maybe next visit) we
adults settled on what turned out to be a vibrant
bottle of dry, white wine from their fine
selection. The two children were very
content with their juice selection as
well.

There are many
appetizing selections from their starter menu, but
we decided to share one: the warm spinach
dip. I was sceptical considering the
combination with artichoke hearts, especially with
children sharing the plate. However, even
they couldn't help but love the creamy, cheesy
texture of the delicious concoction, accompanied
by warm tortilla chips. And the artichoke
did not in any way over power the dish, but
complimented the spinach beautifully.

Moving
on to our main course: the children's menu offers
a small variety of options including chicken,
pasta, ribs and burger. The ribs proved too
difficult for our young diners who jumped at the
chance to try them, accompanied with a side Caesar
salad. The romaine lettuce was fresh and
crisp and the creamy dressing lightly coated the
leaves perfectly. The smoky tenderness of
the ribs was incredible and the meat just fell off
of the bone - a BIG crowd pleaser.

And the
steaks at this steakhouse? We ordered one
New York Strip and one Filet Mignon, both with
grilled vegetables and baked potato sides.
We both received a slight look of disapproval for
ordering our meat "well done", but unlike other
fine dining establishments, there was no argument
for our choice.

Starting
with the negative first: We found the vegetables
about a minute over done - not a crime, but a
little underwhelming. We were able to
overlook that when we forked a bite of steak into
our mouths - and the young diners as well.
The steaks were cooked to perfection - well done,
as requested, and still juicy and
scrumptious. Each flavourful morsel just
melted in our mouths and the beautifully garnished
baked potato was a wonderful
side.

Stuffed
and satisfied, we had to try something off of the
dessert menu - which contained a few choice
favourites such as cheesecake and chocolate mousse
(worth another trip after a lighter meal).
We settled on the mini trio of crème
brulee: chai, caramel and chocolate Though
not a fan of the first, all four of us would love
to return for full portions of either the creamy
caramel or sinfully chocolate crème brulee
- pure heaven on the palate.

We will
definitely be returning to order from their
chicken and seafood selections - and will save
room for a regular sized dessert. For
ambiance, hospitality, food quality and service, I
would have to rate